BOISE, Idaho (AP) — As Bellingham struggles with the issue of homelessness, the city of Boise, Idaho, says officials have reached a settlement ending a dozen years of litigation over people without shelter sleeping in public.
The city said that under the agreement, the homeless will not be cited or arrested for sleeping outdoors when no shelter is available.
The city also will make changes to ordinances that guide police citations.
The settlement will cost Boise about $1.8 million, including $1.3 million to create new overnight shelters or revamp existing shelters.
Locally, it is now three days since a city-posted deadline for homeless campers to vacate the Frank Geri fields at Civic Athletic Complex in Bellingham.
Mayor Seth Fleetwood told KGMI last Friday the posted deadline was not a commitment to dispersal action.
The Bellingham City Council meeting agenda last night included a overview by Whatcom County Health on serving the homeless.